Benoît Charest was born in Montreal in 1964. At the age of 13 he started playing guitar and learned to play the songs of The Beatles and Led Zeppelinby ear. He later discovered jazz and decided at 17 to undertake private lessons with Neil Smolar, a graduate from the Berklee School of Music in Boston. During his college studies, Charest earned a living playing with established jazz musicians in Montreal.[1]
In 1991, Charest produced his first score for Montréal rétro, a documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada; he composed, arranged and conducted the music for the film.[1] In the late 1990s, Charest co-founded Ben & Max Studios with musician Maxime Morin (better known as DJ Champion) — a company specializing in jingles and soundtracks.[2] In 2001 Morin sold his share in the company back to Charest in order to continue his own personal musical career.[2]
Charest composed the soundtrack for the 2003 animated film The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville). The film's score garnered him a César Award for Best Music Written for a Film and the song "Belleville Rendez-vous" earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song in 2004.[1][2] Charest, along with his then wife, vocalist Béatrice Bonifassi, performed "Belleville Rendez-vous" at the 76th Academy Awards ceremony — Maxime Morin played percussion on a bicycle during the live performance.[2][5]
Charest has also composed music for television, theatre, and more than sixty commercials.[1]
On October 22, 2013, Benoît Charest won the Félix in the category "Album of the year – original soundtrack" at the ADISQ Gala for his work on Mars et Avril.[6] For the occasion, a limited edition of 300 vinyl records of the soundtrack was released,[7] as a nod to the retro-futuristic look of the film.[8]
